title: Association of total marine fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids, with aortic stiffness in Koreans, whites, and Japanese Americans.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few previous studies have reported the association of aortic stiffness with marine n-3 fatty acids (Fas) in the general population. The aim of this study was to determine the combined and independent associations of 2 major marine n-3 FAs, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), with aortic stiffness evaluated using carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) in Korean, white, and Japanese American men.
  
  
  METHODS
  A population-based sample of 851 middle-aged men (299 Koreans, 266 whites, and 286 Japanese Americans) was examined for cfPWV during 2002-2006. Serum FAs, including EPA and DHA, were measured as a percentage of total FAs using gas chromatography. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the association of EPA and DHA with cfPWV after adjusting for blood pressure and other confounders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean EPA and DHA levels were 1.9 (SD = 1.0) and 4.8 (SD = 1.4) for Koreans, 0.8 (SD = 0.6) and 2.4 (SD = 1.2) for whites, and 1.0 (SD = 1.0) and 3.2 (SD = 1.4) for Japanese Americans. Both EPA and DHA were significantly higher in Koreans than in the other 2 groups (P < 0.01). Multiple regression analyses in Koreans showed that cfPWV had a significant inverse association with total marine n-3 FAs and with EPA alone after adjusting for blood pressure and other potential confounders. In contrast, there was no significant association of cfPWV with DHA. Whites and Japanese Americans did not show any significant associations of cfPWV with total marine n-3 FAs, EPA, or DHA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High levels of EPA observed in Koreans have an inverse association with aortic stiffness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; akira@pitt.edu.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sekikawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University Medical Center Ansan Hospital, Ansan-City, South Korea;
authors.forename: Chol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii;
authors.forename: Kamal H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Masaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;
authors.forename: Emma J M
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Barinas-Mitchell
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;
authors.forename: Nobutaka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hirooka
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii;
authors.forename: Bradley J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Willcox
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea;
authors.forename: Jina
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Choo
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: White
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;
authors.forename: Rhobert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Science, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan;
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fujiyoshi
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan (TO);
authors.forename: Tomonori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okamura
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Science, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan;
authors.forename: Katsuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miura
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Matthew F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Muldoon
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Science, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan;
authors.forename: Hirotsugu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ueshima
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;
authors.forename: Lewis H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Kuller
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sutton-Tyrrell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001213:Asian / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000097:blood*; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D056910:Republic of Korea; D014481:United States; D059289:Vascular Stiffness; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid
keywords: aortic stiffness; blood pressure; carotid femoral pulse wave velocity; docosahexaenoic acid; eicosapentaenoic acid; fish oil; hypertension.